When the Moon Smiled: A Bedtime Counting Book [Hardcover]

Petr Horacek (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Petr Horacek’s vividly colorful illustrations and multiplying die-cut stars make for a bedtime counting book that twinkles with charm.

Night has come to the farm, but the moon is not smiling. The animals are all out of place, and to set things right, the moon needs to light the stars, one by one. As the number of yellow die-cut stars increases on each page, little readers will be eager to count them (and to count all the animals, too). With appealingly childlike artwork in rich glowing hues, this warm, clever counting book will bring smiles all around.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS. Children will count much more than sheep in this sweet, satisfying bedtime book. A plastic window on the cover reveals a golden half-moon that wears a puzzled expression as it gazes at the farm below: "The animals who were supposed to sleep at night were still awake. The animals who were supposed to wake up at night were still asleep." The farm creatures are all turned around because there's no starlight, so, on each subsequent spread, the moon "lights" a new star, settling the animals into their normal routine: the dog sleeps, the cats wake and prowl, and so on. The spare text provides a simple, rhythmic accompaniment to the bright, color-saturated art. In places, the reproductions appear a bit blurry, but Horacek's childlike crayon-and-watercolor illustrations, printed on glossy, sturdy paper, will captivate preschoolers with their brilliant colors, uncluttered compositions, and cutaway stars that peek through in increasing numbers up to 10. This isn't a necessary purchase, but it offers a cozy, appealing counting exercise from a talented artist. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Petr Horacek brings a magical element to novelty books, [he] understands the wonder with which a child sees the world, and knows how to reflect it in his books." The Daily Mail --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st U.S. ed edition (January 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763622095
• ISBN-13: 978-0763622091
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SherriAllen.com reviews..., October 29, 2004

By 

Sherri Allen "Editor, SherriAllen.com" (nc, usa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Moon Smiled: A Bedtime Counting Book (Hardcover)

When the Moon Smiled, written and illustrated by Petr Horacek, tells the story of the moon lighting the stars one by one in the night sky until everything is right with the world. The story is well-written, with a warm, reassuring quality reminiscent of classic folktales.


Die-cut stars appear as they are lit by the moon for all the farm animals that haven't yet settled down for the night. Starting at one and ending with 10, another star is added with every turn of the page, encouraging young readers to count along as they go. The number of animals depicted in each colorful illustration reflects the number of stars presented on the same page, reinforcing the numerical concept.


Congratulations to Petr Horacek for this excellent book. Although When the Moon Smiled is subtitled "A Bedtime Counting Book," preschoolers will love reading this book at any time of day. I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars original and lovely, November 3, 2010

By 

AFConnors - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Moon Smiled (Paperback)

Uh-oh! It's nighttime on the farm and the animals who are supposed to be awake are asleep, and vice versa! The magical moon in this story lights up one star at a time to help the animals do what they're supposed to. The illustrations, as always with Horacek, are bold, sweet, and bright. This is a great story to read aloud to young children.I like to count the stars as each new one is lit. Sometimes I'll play a note on a xylophone, or let one of the children do it, as I point out each star. There's a magical quality to this gentle, lovely book. I highly recommend it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, inventive book., August 27, 2008

By 

Sara Munoz (Fort Worth, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Moon Smiled: A Bedtime Counting Book (Hardcover)

My daughter recieved this for her second birthday, and loves it. It is beautifully illustrated and the layout is truly imaginative. The words and rhythm lend themself easily to bedtime-friendly reading (that is, getting quieter and slower as you go along). My only issue with this book is from the "bedtime" standpoint. The deep colors, combined with the watercolor style and offbeat typeface, while charming, make it rather hard to read in dim light. And for a book geared toward bedtime, that may be something to take into consideration.